Romney woos Jews in Boca

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney made a stop in Boca today to court the Jewish vote in his bid to win the Florida GOP primary.

He made a speech before the Republican Jewish Coalition of Florida on Tuesday, emphasizing one of the main themes of his campaign - the need to combat what he calls "violent global jihad."

Key points: Harsh economic and diplomatic sanctions against Iran, the need for success in Afghanistan and Iraq to prevent terrorist groups from seeking safe haven, and "maintain the integrity of Israel as a Jewish state."

No one keeps track of how many Jewish GOPers there are in the state; the RJC says it has 7,000 members in Florida, which has a statewide population of 783,00 Jews.

This is the third time the group, which does not endorse candidates, has heard an appeal from a Republican frontrunner or his emissary. Last week, former vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joseph Lieberman made a Boca stop to stump for Sen. John McCain. Two days later, Minnesota senator Norm Coleman appealed to the RJC on behalf of Rudy Giuliani.

Although the Jewish vote traditionally leans overwhelmingly Democratic, the Republican frontrunners are doing their best up their bona fides on Israel.

"It’s nice to see all these Jewish Republicans here," said RJC board member Marc Goldman, getting a big laugh from the crowd of more than 200. "Tell your friends, those Democrats. You know who they are."